EasyJet passenger number soar to 30m

09/01/2006 - 07:38:46
Low-cost airline easyJet said today that it carried almost 18% more passengers in 2005 than the year before – helping revenues jump 20.5%.

The Luton-based airline, which has added a series of new routes and services, flew 30.3 million people during the year, compared with 25.7 million in 2004. Its load factor – which shows how full its planes were – rose slightly to 84.9%.

Revenues for the 2005 calendar year were £1.38bn (€2bn), against £1.15bn (€1.7bn) in 2004, it added in a trading statement.

EasyJet was helped by strong passenger numbers for December which saw 2.37 million passengers travel with the budget carrier – up 11.1% on the same month in 2004. The December load factor slipped 0.2% to 80.5%.